Sour Patch Kids
by writingscientist
Summary: Setting suns and candied conversations.


**Author's note:** _I wanted to have a beginning of sorts to L and Light's relationship. My theory is that anything they had would have to have begun after the monster, Kira, had left Light's soul because he hated L, while Light did not. Which is why Light is only now working out how he feels about L in general. Also, if this story seems like it jumps around a lot, I apologize. I wanted it to feel like a real conversation between two people, and as with the case of most of mine, it kinda hops from one thing to another. And, for anyone who was wondering, yes, the boy L talks about is Beyond Birthday. Oh, and as a true sugar addict, let me say that Sour Patch Kids really are the sweetest candies ever. Enjoy!_

* * *

The setting of the sun had always been one of Light Yagami's favorite things to watch.

Everything about it was just so peaceful: the way that the warm rays seemed to gently kiss the world goodbye before departing, the way that everything looked so soft and clean, regardless of the type of day it had been, good or bad, the way the clouds, which a previously been white and cold, would be streaked with color.

Everything.

Sunsets were beautiful, especially in a metropolis like Tokyo, where the fading light would reflect off all the skyscrapers at once, causing the glass to shine like titan-colored diamonds.

Today's little show was particularly pretty and Light had the best view possible for it, posed as he was by a window on one of the top floors of the tallest building in the area.

The young man could see for miles in all directions and he loved it.

Despite everything that would have pointed to the contrary (his clothes, his hair, his general lack of social skills, etc.), Light had to admit that L had a great sense of style: their new Headquarters was nothing short of spectacular.

The place was huge and filled with technology the likes of which the college student had never seen.

He was positively _itching_ to get his hands on some of the computers downstairs.

But what Light liked best about this new location was how safe it felt. It wasn't just that the security systems were unparalleled; the whole space had a rather warm feeling to it. Home-like, even.

Light had expected the rooms to be sparsely furnished and ugly, as their only real purpose was to provide a spot to sleep and/or work. However, each one had been decorated with very modern (and very cushiony) furniture, as well as a few fashionably arranged rugs.

Everything was designed for comfort.

Had she been allowed inside, Light had the feeling his mother would approve very much of this abode.

It seemed L's tastes were not, in fact, just limited to his mouth.

Speaking of which…

The adolescent genius turned to check out his companion, who, as usual, was eating.

Light was starting to wonder if his rival was an android of some kind that ran entirely on glucose.

This evening's sugary snack of choice was candy and lots of it. In the ten minutes the two of them had been sitting here together, perched on the window ledge that jutted out and watching the sunset from behind the glass, L had managed to go through half of the giant, plastic pack of sweets he currently held in his hands.

Light cast a glance at the name on said bag. The treats must have been from England or America or wherever it was the eccentric detective was from, as the writings were all in English.

"Gummy Worms", it said, in large, bubbly lettering. "Gummy" was spelled incorrectly, with an "i" instead of a "y".

Light supposed it must have been some kind of marketing gimmick.

L was staring out at the urban landscape and Light was staring at him.

The inky-haired detective had a strange way of eating his gummi (?) worms (which really were worm-shaped, weird): he would remove one from the packet, rip off a small piece dramatically with his teeth, chew on it for a minute, swallow, and repeat the process on another section.

His suspect could not help but inspect in interested, and a bit disgusted, fascination.

It was like watching one of those documentaries on animals where the lion kills the zebra: one wants to look away, but they find that they cannot. Gradually, one forgets what they are viewing and sort of drift off into staring, but not really seeing.

If he had to guess, Light would say that he himself was in that last stage.

The boy ran long, thin fingers through his cinnamon locks, lost in thought. It really was very tranquil here.

Granted, he was still under suspicion for murder and was now chained (literally) to a mad man who was unconditionally convinced that he was guilty. But, honestly, he couldn't complain that much.

He was just happy to be out of that damnable cell and working on catching the fucker who was actually causing the all deaths in the first place.

All the misery he had gone through was Kira's fault; of this Light unshakably sure.

The incarceration had been bad enough, but little stunt that L had forced his father to pull was hellacious; the youth had a feeling that his father, Misa, and he were going to have nightmares for a good while.

Well, at least he had someone to jar him awake if terrors did strike him.

Light shifted his gaze from L to the large bed behind them. Everyone had moved into the new Headquarters a few hours ago, and the pair of genii, like all other member of the Task Force (and Misa) had been given their own suite, which included a bathroom, a living space, and a bedroom.

The bedroom was where they were currently located and appeared to be L's favorite spot to spend time. Light couldn't blame him; it really was a gorgeous dwelling.

The captive guessed that L had wanted him to whine about them sleeping in the same bed, but Light had said nothing because, frankly, he did not mind.

The concept was nothing new to him: he had shared a cot with Sayu when they were little and the family had lived in that smaller house across town.

Light smiled a bit; he had not thought about that place in ages.

It had been a nice home, just too small for all four of them as the children aged, so they had moved when his dad had gotten that promotion.

Light shifted in his seat, making himself more comfortable. There had been a cherry tree there, in the backyard, that Light had loved to climb and had been sad to leave behind. He idly wondered if it was still there or if the new owners had chopped it down; he hoped not. Maybe when he was older and had his own roost, it could have a tree in the common garden that he could play in.

One was never too old for tree climbing, after all.

It would have to be pretty big, but many of the old neighborhoods had Camphorwoods that could support a grown up's weight.

Yeah. He liked that idea.

"Light."

The teenager was pulled out of his tree-themed daydreams.

"Light." L said again, his voice as low and melodious as always, "May I ask you a question?"

His comrade gave him a once-over and spoke, his tone just the teensiest bit sarcastic.

"That in itself is a question, Ryuzaki. But sure, go ahead."

L gave him a flat look, but didn't comment on the sass.

"Light, what is living with your family like?" he asked.

Light had learned a while ago to expect the unexpected with L, but this was still, well… _unexpected. _

"It's fine, I guess." he remarked, giving a small shrug of his shoulders.

L ate another gummi worm. "Not exactly a sharer of details, are you, Light?" he said.

Light sighed, blowing his bags out of his face, trying not to feel angry.

"What do you want me to said, Ryuzaki? It's fine. I have a good relationship with both my parents and my sister. My dad works for the police and my mom is a housewife. Sayu goes to the local high school. I still live at home and I go to college. Or at least I _did._"

He jingled their chain for emphasis.

"We all get along most of the time and try to have meals together and do family stuff when everyone is home. Mom is a great cook and likes knitting. Sayu is not very good at math, but she loves Creative Writing. Dad works a lot, but he is always there if I need to talk about something and never misses anyone's birthday. Is that enough for you?" Light leveled his jailor an irritated expression.

L said nothing for a moment, scanning the cityscape. "I am trying to understand what kind of environment might have fostered Kira." He responded, slowly.

Alright, now Light _was _getting angry.

He fought to control his voice, lest he start shouting.

"Oh, not this again, Ryuzaki. I told you, I'm not Kira. I know that you don't believe me, but it's the truth. And besides, isn't wearing these handcuffs and watching me 24/7 enough? Now you want to dig into my private life?!"

L thumbed his lower lip. "I have every right to dig into your "private life" if it benefits the case."

Light opened his mouth to argue, but L held up a slim hand for silence. His timbre was firm.

"I know it does not seem fair, but this case is far too unusual for any of the normal circumstances to be in effect. Besides, I was not saying that you _are _Kira by asking those questions, I am simply trying to see if your up-bringing could be a factor."

"In other words, was I raised in such a way that I would grow up to be a serial killer?" Light concluded.

L nodded. "To put it in blunt terms, yes."

He fished out a gummi worm.

Light stroked the pad of his thumb over where their chain was rubbing the skin of his wrist raw.

"And what is your assessment?" he questioned.

L just put the candy between his canines and gnawed on it for a minute in a rather dog-like fashion.

Finally, he swallowed the treat and answered.

"I think you are lying."

Light started. "What?" he uttered, completely incredulous.

"You heard me." L replied. "I think you are lying."

Light flared his nostrils.

"And _how_, in the name of sanity, do you come to that conclusion?" he hissed.

L picked at a thread that had come loose on his jeans.

"I told you before that I put video cameras all over your house earlier in the investigation. What I did not tell you is that I kept them in your house the longest because your family struck me as too normal, too perfect."

Light arched an eyebrow. "You ever think that maybe people might actually live the boring lives that they seem to, Ryuzaki?" He scoffed.

_And you are hardly the best person to say what is normal, L._

The detective shook his head.

"Everyone has secrets. If things appear flawless on the outside then there is always something rotten beneath the surface. Nothing is ever perfect or if it is, it is quickly snuffed out."

There was increased intensity in L's inflection, as if he had experienced this phenomenon personally.

For the first time ever, Light wondered about this man's past.

What had happened to him to make him so socially crippled?

Nothing good, that much was obvious.

The younger of the two felt the rage in his heart suddenly flee him, replaced with (undeserved) pity for the older.

He let out a lengthy sigh, opting against his better judgment to give his partner an explanation.

"You are right, Ryuzaki. Things are not perfect."

L's head perked up, like an animal that had sensed prey.

"Really? How so?" He pressed, trying to hide his interest, but failing miserably.

Light wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

"I'll tell you, but none of it adds up to me being Kira, okay?" he cautioned. "It's just… personal stuff that I am reluctant the share."

L waved a hand impatiently.

"Yeah. Yeah. Continue." He corresponded hastily.

The excited investigator was settling in like a child awaiting to hear a very good bedtime story.

Light tried not let this bother him and began to talk.

"Well, to start I should say that everything I said a minute ago is still true. My family really are wonderful people and I love them unconditionally. They are not perfect: my mother is occasionally a little passive aggressive, Dad can be a bit abrasive sometimes, and Sayu can get pretty obnoxious about doing chores."

Light peered hard into L's pallid face.

"But that is perfectly normal of imperfect human beings and I never have held it against them because I know I am as flawed as they."

L appeared to be legitimately startled by this.

"Light Yagami admits that he has _flaws_?"

His words dripped with so much sarcasm it was a wonder none of it got on the carpet.

Light just glared at him. "Yes, Ryuzaki, you ass, I know I'm flawed. I'm bossy and arrogant and sometimes I act like a spoiled brat. I'm no god."

L seemed to think this over and acknowledged it after a minute or so. "You know, when we first met, I would have staked my entire fortune on never hearing those words from you, Light."

Something shifted in his ebony eyes, as if he had realized an important fact. But what that fact was, his prisoner had no idea.

L thumbed his lip again, thinking hard. "The love you have for your family is immense, Light. And I admire it greatly."

He paused.

Light waited for the "but".

"But _(there it was)_ you seem… distant from them, too. You talk about them as if you are a separate unit, and not just another member. Why?"

Light looked down at his hands and played with the chain he shared with L.

"Because I am separate. At least in some way."

He watched the twinkling skyline of his beloved city.

"I'm clever, L. A genius. You know this. I always have been and probably always will be. But being a genius is both a blessing and a curse."

He felt very old wounds open in his heart; wounds dealt from name-calling and teasing by other, less brilliant, but very jealous and very cruel, children.

"I have never been close to anyone. How could I? When nobody, not even my parents, has the capability to understand me. They love me, but they don't know me."

Light pulled his knees up close to his chest in a style rather similar to compatriot's and felt like crying for the first time in as long as he could remember.

Never in his 18 years of life had he ever told anyone this information.

It was too raw, too painful; L should consider himself very lucky to hear any of this. And yet the bastard was probably going use it to up Light's chances of being Kira again.

Light buried his face in arms and waited for the percentage.

This was why he didn't share.

But then L did something that Light would have never thought him capable: he reached out and placed a, surprisingly warm, hand on his colleague's shoulder.

"I know you, Light." He whispered, voice soft and kind.

And it was the truth.

L knew him better than anyone because he was the only one who could.

They were one and the same, this raven-crowned, sugar addict and he.

It takes a genius to understand a genius.

Light grinned earnestly at him, thankful in ways that words could not express. Still he had to say something.

"Thank you, Ryuzaki."

L didn't smile, but there was affection in his unblinking stare.

He bobbed his head and replied "You're welcome, Light."

The two said nothing more for a while after that. L returned to his candy and Light to his musings.

He really _was_ grateful to L.

The man might have put him through Hell and back, but he was still the best friend that Light Yagami had ever had.

Only friend really.

Light didn't have friends, he had acquaintances, mostly people who thought they were his friends, but were usually shallow and only good for short instances of staving off boredom.

But L…

Despite his annoying habits and somewhat creepy expressions, Light could tolerate the idea of spending excessive amounts of time with him.

Which, he supposed, he was going to have to regardless.

Stupid handcuffs.

Light glanced at L, who was chewing thoughtfully on a gummi worm, considering something.

"Do you think," he finally said after a moment or two "that if we had known each other outside of this conflict that we could have been friends?"

At this point, Light was not surprised in the least to know that they been having the same sort of introspection.

"Are we not friends now, Ryuzaki?" he teased.

Not that he really wanted the answer; he did not believe that L cared for Light, as Light did him.

That would have been too perfect and, as the two had previously agreed upon, such a thing did not exist.

Much to Light's relief, L ignored the question entirely and swatted him on the leg.

"I am being serious, Light. Listen, what if you had been allowed to go to a place where people like us where the norm?"

Light frowned, uncomprehending.

"You mean like a school?"

L shrugged a bit.

"Of sorts."

"And it's full of geniuses?"

There was a hum of confirmation.

Light put a finger to his chin, mulling the idea over.

"Well, I suppose the politically correct thing would be to say that I would miss my family. And I would to some degree. But…"

He smirked at L.

"I think the overwhelming response would be happiness. A place filled with people who could potentially understand me? Sign me up!"

A gloomy expression had taken residence on L's face.

"If only it were that simple." He muttered, more to himself than to Light.

He had a faraway look in his onyx orbs, as if thinking of some people located on the other side of the world.

Which, with L, could easily be the case.

Light knew he would not get everything out of his friend, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"Ryuzaki," he asked. "have you ever had someone who knew you?"

They both understood what the younger man meant.

Light was not sure what kind of an answer he would get, but was willing to wait for one.

And wait he did, as it must have been a full minute before the detective gave a heavy nod of his wild head.

"Yes." He affirmed. "There are a number of people who know me very well, though perhaps not as well as they think they do. And there was once a boy who knew me as well as I know you now, but that was a very long time ago."

Light's insides gave a small lurch of hurt.

"Another lie then, Ryuzaki?"

L seemed baffled. "I don't understand." He responded.

"You told me that I was the first friend you ever had. If this boy knew you then he must have been your friend, too." He snipped.

L's soot-colored eyes glittered in ire. "I did not lie to you, Light. Bey-, that is, the other boy was _not _my friend. He was my housemate, my rival, and my, erm," He paused a moment, seemingly embarrassed, before finishing. "lover. But _never_ my friend."

Light simply blinked at his associate, mouth a perfect o from shock.

The idea of L having intercourse was downright terrifying. And another male, no less!

The mysteries of L went deep, very deep.

Still, the concept of men liking other men was not exactly unheard of and even Light himself… eh, he wouldn't go there.

He took a calming breath and spoke. "So this guy. Whatever happened to him?"

L's tone was completely flat.

"He was murdered by Kira".

Light's jaw fell open with a little pop.

So _that_ was it.

Light had wondered since he had first met L what the trigger had been that made this case so close for him. The deaths were gruesome and the situation around them was strange, to be sure, but a seasoned detective like L should be able to handle it without any emotional involvement. And to an outside observer, there wasn't any.

But Light was perceptive; he could see the barest bit of responsiveness due to feelings whenever some new development in the case arrived. This explained why.

Not to mention the mistrust he often observed from L in regard to Light himself.

Who could blame him?

The fact that the genius had been able to be friends with the person who potentially could have killed his lover was downright miraculous.

It showed a level of social grace the likes of which Light would never have thought possible of his turnkey.

Light gave his rival's knee a squeeze.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

L just sighed.

"I am not going to say that it is alright, because frankly it's not. But I will say that it is not as bad as you think. He and I had not been on good terms for years, so the blow has not as bad as it could have been. Still…" He trailed off softly.

_Still, it hurts._ Light silently finished for him.

He watched the grief swirl and shift in those silent, starless orbs before it gradually dissipated.

L ate his last gummi worm and crouched even lower, making himself smaller.

Light wanted to offer comfort, but he knew anything he said would sound fake and uncaring, so he kept quiet.

As his current candy supply had just been used up, L hopped off their little ledge and shuffled over to the other side of the room where his treats were stored. Light lifted a lean arm to give their chain a bit more slack. L dug around for a moment, searching, until finally he pulled out his prize and returned to his seat.

It was an enormous yellow, paper box.

Light read the label.

It, too, was in English and the name unfamiliar.

"Sour Patch Kids"

The cover featured a collection of vaguely human-shaped candies in bright colors (probably to distinguish different flavors) and each was covered in small crystals.

Light guessed that was where the "sour" came from.

L opened pulled one out and dropped it into his chops.

Immediately, his face scrunched up as if in pain.

Light would bet good money that it was in response to those bitty crystals. He half expected his partner to spit the sweet out, but, instead, L just rolled it around with his tongue some more.

After a minute, the acidic taste must have worn off because the investigator's puckering ceased and he chewed happily for a moment before swallowing.

Light gawked, completely confused. What was all that about?

L found another and did the same thing all over again: wincing, then smiling, then swallowing.

Light was fascinated. Since when did L like sour anything?

The strange process was repeated three more times before Light's curiosity got the better of him.

"Ryuzaki," he questioned. "Why are you eating those?"

"I like candy. I thought by now that you would have noticed this." he playfully deadpanned.

Light fought the urge to roll his eyes. He really did. But, ultimately, his eyes won and completed their desired circular motion.

"I mean, you smart ass, why are you eating a candy that is inherently sour?" he responded, not rising to the bait. "It doesn't seem like your usual choice since they aren't coma-inducingly sweet."

L took out a Sour Patch Kid, examining it.

"Because they _are_ sweet." He chirped, putting the thing in his mouth.

"They are very sour when you start out." His words were punctured slightly by brief blanching, as if proving the point.

"But once the sour is gone," As it seemed to be now. "they are the sweetest candies in existence."

He chewed for emphasis.

"I don't know if it is because of the conditioning one gets from the sour flavoring or if they are just naturally sweeter, but I enjoy them."

He pulled out a sample, a red one, and handed it to Light.

The other man had never been one for sugar, but a piece of candy every now and then was nice. He popped the sweet in.

Well, it was definitely sour, that much was true.

He sucked on it like he would a lemon, waiting for the tartness to end. It did momentarily and he realized that L had been correct: the morsel really was sweet. Not in an overpowering way, but still deliciously saccharine.

Light finished the candy and smiled; he liked Sour Patch Kids.

L grinned like a cat, pleased that he had pulled someone else to his syrupy side of things, and began munching once more.

Light watched him, thinking. It was not everyone that strange man offered his food to anyone. Quite the contrary, Light wondered if he _ever _shared. So what was special about Light?

Perhaps it was because of the previous imprisonment or the current house arrest and he was trying to make up for it.

Or maybe, just maybe, he was being nice because he legitimately liked Light…

The other genius thought about it, fingers on his chin.

While it was true that the super detective had treated him badly sometimes, that had always been in regard to the case. He gave Light the same attitude he would of any Kira suspect.

But when it was just them and the Kira investigation did not have to be thought about, he was kinder. Shy, perhaps, but still friendly.

And, Light?

How had Light responded to this caring side?

With complaints about his methods and challenges to his authority.

Not the best of approaches for gaining trust.

The bright boy began to feel guilty, a rare occurrence to be sure.

Why was being an asshole always second nature for him?

He huffed and launched into thinking up ways in which he could tell L he was sorry.

Without, of course, actually saying the words.

Because that was a one blow to his pride he was not willing to take.

What did L like?

What made him happy?

In a brief moment of perfect clairvoyance, Light understood what to do.

He reached over and, with lightning reflexes, stole another Sour Patch Kid from the box and tossed it behind his teeth.

L seemed startled then irked. Those were _his_ candies, after all.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but Light held up a finger for him to wait, furiously working to get all the sour off the snack.

L was a patient man. So he sat in annoyed anticipation for Light to make his move.

And, after a few seconds, move Light did.

He leaned across the space between them and crushed their equally sugar-coated lips together.

L stood stock-still against his colleague, having been taken completely by surprise. But the astonishment worked to Light's advantage, as it had left L's lips parted a little.

He smoothly slid his tongue into the other's mouth and, with it, the now-sweet Sour Patch Kid. L's eyes widened as he felt the candy glide in, towards the back of his throat.

Light then removed himself entirely from the equation and watched, contently, as his friend enjoyed the food.

L took longer than usual to savor the sweet and when he finally did swallow, he looked positively blissful.

He turned his ebony eyes to meet Light's amber ones.

"Why?" he whispered.

Light smiled.

"Because sometimes you deserve the sweet without the sour."

L absorbed this new information, then grinned as well, taking Light's face into his hands and kissing him.

There was no candy exchange here.

But, to Light, it was sweeter than if there had been.

The kiss was warm and soft and perfect. And, for Light at least, it was more than that.

He had been coming to terms for a while now that he was not the same as other guys he knew. He didn't look at buxom girls and immediately begin panting like a brute, unlike many of his associates.

It wasn't just a sexual thing, though that was part of it. What it really came down to was that he liked minds before he even considered bodies.

The kisses he shared with girls had been… boring, for lack of a better word, not because they had been with girls, but because they had been with _dumb _girls.

Misa was _definitely_ included in that category, as well. Not that he could tell her that. She would just call him names, trying to simplify how he felt into terms she could understand. And he really did not need that. _Like ever._

As for L, he was no stranger to kissing boys and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Light had a feeling that his interest in people was intelligence-based, too, but he could not tell for sure. Light _was_ a good looking guy. But he supposed it didn't matter in the long run.

After what felt like both forever and not nearly long enough, the kiss ended, as kisses are sadly prone to do. But unlike many others of their kind, there were no messy gushing of emotions or shy, happy giggling.

That was not the way of these men.

Instead, they exchanged meaningful glances and smiled a little more, before returning to their previous places on the ledge.

There would be more to come for them, both physically and emotionally, as time went on and both knew it. But there was no reason to talk of it, because, to them at least, it was as obvious as the sun setting before them.

For that was how they were, like Sour Patch Kids. Unreachable on the outside, but containing beautiful centers to those that knew them best. And no one but each other could know the other better.

So, they said nothing and simply gazed out the window at the sunset, their sunset, completely comfortable with their companionable silence.

Two lonely boys sitting together and sharing candy.

The End.


End file.
